Official Report on the M/V Pasha Bulker

The ship that made gCaptain famous is back in the headlines. The M/V Pasha Bulker, a 76,741 deadweight ton Panamax bulk carrier launched in 2006, is the subject of a new report from NSW Maritime of Australia. The enormous vessel first made world headlines after running aground on a popular Australian beach in June of this year and since that time rumors to the cause of here dramatic grounding have been circling the media. Today the official report has been issued. Our friend and deputy gCaptain reporter Ian points us to NSW Maritime’s Press Release;

The Pasha Bulker ran aground during the once-in-thirty year storm that struck the Central Coast and Newcastle on June 8.

The same storm took nine lives and caused damage estimated to cost $1.35 billion.

Ports Minister Joe Tripodi said the investigation found the grounding of the Pasha Bulker was caused by a combination of horrendous weather conditions and poor seamanship by the Master of the vessel.

We will be working with veteran maritime incident reporter Bob Couttie to keep you updated on this important news item. For those new to this site, be sure to look back at the amazing photos and some of our previous posts on this amazing story.

PASHA BULKER INVESTIGATION REPORT – FACT SHEET

What did the report investigate?

NSW Maritime investigated two marine accidents under the Marine Safety Act 1998 – the Pasha Bulker grounding and difficulties encountered by the Sea Confidence. The Betis, which also encountered difficulties, was outside state waters.

What happened to cause the grounding?

The investigation found the grounding was caused by a series of poor judgments and decisions made by the vessel’s Master, notably:

A failure to realise the potential impact on the Pasha Bulker of the weather forecast in the anchorage on 8 June;

An initial decision to ride out the gale at anchor and not to heed the caution within the Sailing Directions regarding suitability of the anchorage in the forecast weather conditions; and

A decision not to ballast the ship for heavy weather.

Why not prosecute the Master of the Pasha Bulker?

The investigation found there is some evidence the Master may have committed the offense of negligent navigation under the Water Traffic Regulations (NSW).

On examining the evidence and the elements of the offense that must be proven to the criminal standard, that is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, the likelihood of a successful prosecution is low.

Given this conclusion, and after applying the Prosecution Guidelines of the Office of the Director of the Public Prosecutions for NSW, NSW Maritime will not proceed to a prosecution.

What about weather warnings?

All ships received weather forecasts as early as 3 June, with at least 10 wind warnings issued, as well as routine weather forecasts via radio.

47 vessels left the Newcastle anchorage between 2200 on 7 June and 0700 on 8 June. By 7am on 8 June, nine ships remained including the Pasha Bulker, the Sea Confidence and the Betis.

The Master of the Pasha Bulker stated he was aware of the gale warning as early as 3 June, reviewed the forecast on June 7 and assessed the gale incorrectly as “very far away.”

While eventually attempting to head to sea at 7am on 8 June, he crucially left the bridge for breakfast at 8am.

What about the issue of ballast?

The report notes all three ships discussed were properly ballasted for fair weather and normal anchorage conditions. In terms of ballast, the issue was the failure by the Masters to take on sufficient extra ballast to deal with the weather conditions forecast for the anchorage.

What are the recommendations in the Report?

The Report makes a number of recommendations to help prevent similar incidents – all of which will be adopted:

For the Government to bring concerns over the Master’s performance to the authority that issued his qualifications seeking they be reviewed;

About John Konrad

Captain John Konrad is the founder and CEO of gCaptain and author of the book Fire On The Horizon. John is a USCG licensed Master of Unlimited Tonnage and has sailed a variety of ships from ports around the world.